


Stupid Jerk

by Aniimone



Category: Naruto
Genre: Drabble, HS AU, High School AU, Just bros being bros, M/M, Mostly Fluff, NaruSasu - Freeform, Nudes, Rivals, SasuNaru - Freeform, SasuNaruSasu - Freeform, Tutor AU, accepting friends, cut a little short at the end, i have no idea how long this is going to be i just felt like writing it today so i did, naruto doesnt think hes gay, sasuke has a fanclub as always, sns, sns drabble, study au, texts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-21
Updated: 2017-01-10
Packaged: 2018-09-01 05:50:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,386
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8611144
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aniimone/pseuds/Aniimone
Summary: Naruto doesn't think he's gay, despite his body's and friends' attempts to prove it to him. So Sasuke has to show him that being bisexual is a thing.





	1. Rivals

**Author's Note:**

> This fic just sort of happened. I don't regret it at all.

Naruto Uzumaki is an immature, blonde boy who doesn’t care much for studying. He was adopted as a baby and never met his birth parents, who have apparently died. He attends school with Sasuke Uchiha, one of the top students who was also orphaned at a young age in a car accident, but was old enough to remember his parents’ deaths. He lives with a foster family.

Naruto is blonde, with scars on each cheek that look like cat whiskers. His hair is always messy, and he always wears a stupidly baggy orange jacket. He’s loud, obnoxious, and supposedly straight. Somehow, he has a lot of friends, even if almost every girl he meets despises him.

Sasuke is quite the opposite; dark-haired, silent, and with a very large fan club. And very gay, but he doesn’t really give it away. He’s fashionable and smart, well-liked but not well-known. He’s popular, against his every intention.

Naruto likes to hang out with his friends, no matter where they are. Which is how he finds himself in the library, studying for a physics exam with his friend Shikamaru.

“Hm? I’m never going to remember all of this,” Naruto groans, lowering his head onto the table top.

“Come on, Naruto, it’s not that complicated. Look…” Shikamaru says, trailing off on another lengthy explanation that Naruto isn’t listening to.

This time though, he has a reason for not listening. Someone is shelving books behind Shikamaru. Someone with a very familiar head of dark hair, and a very familiar smirk. Naruto scowls at Sasuke and continues glaring at him until Shikamaru whacks his head.

“Ouch! What was that for?” Naruto asks sharply, earning a hush from a girl nearby.

“Aren’t you paying any attention to me? What were you staring at anyway?” Shikamaru asks. He turns around and notices Sasuke. “Oh. Alright, but come on. Isn’t your failing grade a little more important than Sasuke’s ass?”

“I’ve told you, I’m not gay!” Naruto defends, slamming his fist down on the table and making everyone nearby shush him again.

Shikamaru sighs and closes his eyes. Sasuke suddenly walks over and Naruto’s heart rate increases. For no reason other than the fact that he wants to argue with his rival, of course.

“You guys are causing a disturbance,” Sasuke whispers. He leans down uncomfortably close to Naruto and sirens start going off inside his head. “I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

“Stupid librarian. Fine! See you at school, asshole!” Naruto replies, getting up and gathering his papers, notebooks, and textbook into his backpack.

Sasuke smirks and leaves. Shikamaru grabs his own backpack.

“Let’s go, Naruto,” he says, leading the way.

With one more glare in Sasuke’s direction, Naruto follows him.

Sasuke smiles softly as soon as Naruto’s back is turned, and then goes back to shelving books.

~*~*~*~

“Oh hey guys,” Kiba says when he sees the two approaching him and his dog Akamaru at the park near the library.

“Hello,” Naruto replies, waving enthusiastically.

Shikamaru just waves one hand casually and says, “Yo!”

“Spend some time trying to study for the test tomorrow?” Kiba asks, throwing a stick for Akamaru again.

“Yeah,” Shikamaru replies. “Until this idiot got us kicked out for ogling Sasuke again.”

“Hey! Come on, man! I’m not gay!” Naruto yells.

“Whatever,” Kiba replies.

Suddenly, Naruto’s phone goes off in his pocket. He scrambles for a moment, trying to get it, and finally fishes it out. He answers it.

“Ah, hello?”

“Naruto! Where are you?” his mom exclaims. “You’re always disappearing! At least text me!”

“Oh, sorry, sorry, I was at the library with Shikamaru, studying for my Physics test.”

“Really? You were studying?” his mom asks incredulously.

“Yeah! Don’t sound so disbelieving,” Naruto tells her defensively.

Both Kiba and Shikamaru try to stifle their laughter. They fail miserably. Naruto shoots them both a glare for it, which shuts them up.

“Alright. Sorry. Come home before seven! Your father’s making dinner, and you know what that means,” his mom says.

Naruto whoops and pumps a fist in the air.

“Hell yeah I do! Ramen!” Naruto exclaims.

“Yes,” his mom replies, laughing.

Shikamaru and Kiba are laughing too, but it’s not worth a glare this time.

“Bye Mom!” Naruto says. “See you at seven.”

“You too, Naruto. Be careful on your way home. There’s supposed to be rain coming,” she replies.

“Alright Mom. See you,” Naruto tells her. He hangs up and looks up at his friends.

“Your dad’s cooking then?” Kiba asks.

“Yep!” Naruto replies happily.

They laugh. Naruto checks the time and notices that it’s only four.

“Say, I’ve got a couple of hours. What should we do?” Naruto asks.

“Let’s just keep studying out here,” Shikamaru suggests, sitting in the grass and opening his backpack.

“Alright,” Naruto responds, doing the same.

~*~*~*~

“Hey! Guys, I got a C!” Naruto exclaims at the end of the day, brandishing his returned test a few days later.

“Good job, Naruto,” Shikamaru replies.

“What’s this? A new record?” Sasuke’s voice asks.

Naruto turns around, squinting, and sees the taller, dark-haired Sasuke approaching with his hands in his pockets and a few girls in a huddle behind him, pointing and giggling. Naruto feels a pang of--definitely not jealousy or protectiveness, that’d be weird. No, it’s just annoyance, Naruto assures himself.

“The hell do you want?” Naruto snaps at Sasuke.

The boy smirks. That really irks Naruto, and Sasuke definitely knows it.

“I’m just asking a simple question,” Sasuke taunts.

Naruto growls out a low reply that can’t be clearly translated, but sounds something like, “I’ll ask you a simple question.”

Sasuke doesn’t bother trying to go into detail on that statement, so instead he snatches Naruto’s test from him. As Naruto lunges after it, Sasuke keeps him at bay with a hand on his chest. Which really shouldn’t make Naruto blush and get nervous, but it does.

‘Just anger,’ Naruto tells himself.

Sasuke laughs at the 71% grade, and tosses the test back to Naruto at last.

“You know, I could help you study. Maybe then you wouldn’t bomb every exam,” Sasuke suggests calmly.

Naruto scoffs, until he realizes that Sasuke is serious.

“Wait, really?”

“Um, yeah, I wouldn’t offer otherwise, idiot,” Sasuke replies.

“Holy shit, that’d be super helpful. Thanks, Sasuke!” Naruto responds.

“Don’t mention it,” Sasuke says. “And by the way, you’re blushing.”

Naruto’s blush deepens and he frowns at Sasuke, who just smirks and walks away with an over-the-shoulder wave.

“I really hate him,” Naruto claims.

“Right,” Kiba replies skeptically. “That’s why you started blushing as soon as he touched your chest.”

“Shut up!” Naruto demands.

“Sorry,” Kiba says, putting his hands up.

Naruto growls and slams his locker shut before storming off in the opposite direction that Sasuke went. Which means to the Juniors’ parking lot. Sasuke always rides the bus home. No one really knows why. Some people who know the details behind Sasuke’s parents death would be able to guess, if there was anyone who knew the details.

His parents were killed in a car accident. He only survived because he was in the backseat, strapped into a car seat. His parents were both only children, and his grandparents were all dead. His brother didn’t die in the accident, but he was locked in prison for murdering his best friend.

Of course, Sasuke would never tell anyone any of this, so everyone just assumes that his foster parents are his biological parents.

Naruto gets into his car and drives home. He puts his backpack at the base of the steps and walks into the kitchen. He greets his dad, who is making himself a late lunch.

“Hey there, sport. Want a sandwich?” he asks.

“Sure! Thanks,” Naruto replies happily.

His father is an average guy. He’s mostly a stay-at-home guy, but he has a workshop out back where he does woodworking to sell online. He’s usually got some stubble on his chin, and has a lot of balding happening. He claims he used to have a full head of dark-brown hair, but even in photos a little bit of a receding hairline is visible.

Naruto’s adoptive mom on the other hand, is tall and slender, with short orange-ish brown hair that is dyed, and she is a defense attorney. She usually comes home between five o’clock and ten, depending on which cases she’s working.

The worst issue with having a lawyer for a mom is that she always wins. It almost reminds Naruto of Sasuke.

That asshole.

Suddenly, it dawns on Naruto that Sasuke might have something up his sleeve in offering to help Naruto study. He squints as he thinks about what it could be.

“You’ve got that look on your face,” his dad tells him, setting a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in front of Naruto. “The one where you’re thinking hard about something.”

“Yeah. Thanks. Sasuke offered to help me study, today,” Naruto explains.

“Ah, yes. Sasuke. The guy you never shut up about, but you’re totally straight. Him.”

“Dad! Why does everyone think I’m gay for Sasuke?!” Naruto exclaims.

His dad laughs.

“Anyway, he offered to help you study. Good. Your grades are terrible,” he says.

“I know,” Naruto says with a scowl. “I got a C on my physics test today, though!”

“Congrats!”

“Thanks, Dad,” Naruto says. “So, I was telling my friends about it, and Sasuke comes up, right? All swagger and ‘oh, I’m Sasuke Uchiha, I’m so cool and attractive,’ like he always is, you know? And he tells me he’ll help me study. But like, this is Sasuke. He’s go to have ulterior motives here, right?”

“Naruto, maybe he really just wants to be friends with you,” his dad suggests.

Naruto makes a skeptical sound around a mouthful of sandwich.

His dad shrugs and says, “Hey, it’s an idea.”

Naruto just keeps eating. His dad takes his sandwich and sits down next to Naruto at the dining table to eat it. Once Naruto’s done eating, he thanks his dad again and heads upstairs, ignoring his backpack on the way.

Once he’s in his room, Naruto plugs in his phone and sees a couple of messages from his friends Choji and Shikamaru. He ignores them for now, and takes a nap.

~*~*~*~

Text From: Kiba 3:23  
Dude Sasukes askin for your number, should i give it to him?  
Text From: Kiba 3:24  
Naruto come on.  
Text From: Naruto 4:12  
Sorry i was sleeping  
Text From: Naruto 4:12  
Sure, go ahead  
Text From: Kiba 4:13  
Okay  
Text From: Kiba 4:15  
He says thanks.

Text From: Choji 3:17  
Naruto my mom’s making cookies, you should come over and have some  
Text From: Naruto 4:16  
Ill be right there

Naruto gets up and puts his jacket back on. He sprints downstairs and tells his dad where he’s going before leaving. He walks down the street a few houses, turns a corner, and walks a little farther before he’s at Choji’s. He knocks on the door and Choji answers.

“What took you so long? Usually when I say my mom’s baking cookies, you come running immediately,” Choji says, letting his friend in.

“Yeah, sorry about that. I took a nap,” Naruto replies.

Choji sighs and leads Naruto through the house, towards the kitchen. Not that Naruto needed a guide. To any other part of Choji’s house, sure, Naruto has no idea where anything is. But the kitchen? That’s easy. Just follow the smell of delicious food.

Choji’s mom greets them when they walk in, and Naruto’s nostrils and eyes widen at the many cookies set out on cooling trays. Some of them are already put away, but there’s still three trays out. Naruto reaches out and grabs one, Choji following suit. They thank his mom, grab a plate piled high with more cookies, and head up to Choji’s room. Choji starts up his Xbox and starts a new game with two players.

“Oh man, I’ll never get tired of your family’s cooking,” Naruto claims, picking up the second controller.

“Food is a necessity of life that the Akimichi family takes very seriously,” Choji replies seriously, starting the game.

It’s some zombie apocalypse game with first-person shooting. Not a very hard game, but the two of them are very intense players. Naruto ends up staying over for dinner, which is a delicious three-course meal. He thanks Choji and his family, and leaves afterwards, happily stuffed.

Naruto’s dad greets him when he walks in at eight, and his mom looks up from her desk in the back room to say hello and ask him how his day went.

“It was fine. I got a C on my physics test!” Naruto tells her.

“That’s great! See how much studying pays off?” she replies.

“Yeah. Did Dad tell you that Sasuke’s going to help me study?” Naruto asks.

“Yes, he did,” she says with a smile. “Why don’t you go upstairs and do your homework for once?”

Naruto groans, but know that it’s pointless to argue, he grabs his back and trudges upstairs. He checks his phone before starting his homework, which is just a little bit of science homework and some math. He’s in Algebra 2, and the unit they’re on is imaginary numbers. It’s easier than matrices, but still not easy for him.

At least it’s the last section of this chapter.

In Naruto’s notification is a message that has him panicking a bit.

Text From: (202)555-0163 7:53  
Naruto, it’s Sasuke.

Naruto stares at his phone for about a minute, stunned. He feels his heart beating sporadically and scowls, deciding to text back.

Text From: Naruto 8:02  
What do you want  
Text From: Sasuke 8:03  
Wow I thought you were ghosting me. Glad I was wrong.  
Text From: Naruto 8:04  
Whats that suposed o mean

Naruto scowls at himself for the typos. He doesn’t text this bad when it’s his friends. Of course, Sasuke has to make a comment on it.

Text From: Sasuke 8:05  
What’s wrong with you? Am I making you nervous?  
Text From: Naruto 8:05  
You wish! Jerk

Naruto silently curses himself for texting back within a minute.

Text From: Sasuke 8:07  
Oh my god, idiot. Who texts back that quickly. Especially you, renowned within your friend group for taking forever to reply to texts.  
Text From: Naruto 8:08  
Yore relly starting to tick me of  
Text From: Sasuke 8:10  
“Yore”? Seriously? Stop denying it, you like me.  
Text From: Naruto 8:10  
As if!

Sasuke doesn't reply for a bit and suddenly Naruto becomes hyper aware of the blush dusting his cheeks. He scowls and decides that two can play at that game. He puts his phone face-down on the desk and decides to get started on his homework. He’s just finishing up the last of it when his phone buzzes. Trying to keep his resolve, he waits to check it until he’s answered the last two math problems. What shows up on his phone makes him fall out of his chair with a yelp of surprise.

Text From: Sasuke 8:43  
[image]

It’s Sasuke. Shirtless. Fresh out of the shower, with a towel around his waist. He isn’t dried off yet, and it’s obvious. His wet hair clings to the sides of his face. A smirk plays at the corners of his mouth. Not like Naruto was looking at his mouth or anything. He also has a lot of muscles. Not as many as Naruto, but still; it’s unfair. Naruto saves the picture without thinking, and lies back on the floor, staring up at the ceiling with an uncomfortable boner and wide eyes.

“What the fuck,” he whispers softly.

Finally, he sits up and stares back at his phone.

Text From: Naruto 8:51  
I told u imnot gay  
Text From: Sasuke 8:52  
Hm. Why don’t I believe you?

Naruto glares at his phone and makes up his mind to get Sasuke back. He knows exactly what to do. He grits his teeth and makes sure his door is closed before he unbuttons his pants and pulls them down to expose his boxers. He snaps a picture and sends it as he pulls his pants back up.

Text From: Naruto 8:56  
[image]  
Text From: Sasuke 9:01  
Mines biger  
Text From: Naruto 9:02  
Look whos making speling mistake now

Sasuke doesn’t reply. So neither does Naruto. Instead, he spends the rest of the night trying to get the thought of that picture and the mental image of Sasuke’s dick out of his mind. He decides that a shower is just what he needs, so he goes and takes one. In the shower, he may or may not pleasure himself to the thought of Sasuke.

Naruto changes into his pajamas and brushes his teeth before he packs up his backpack for tomorrow morning and goes to sleep.

How he went from glaring at Sasuke for talking to him, to sharing nudes will take Naruto a while to realize. And it won’t be something he wants to tell his friends about.


	2. Realization and Invitation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Sasuke teases Naruto, his friends realize that something has changed between them, and Naruto takes Sasuke up on that offer to tutor him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> snort  
> /snôrt/  
> [noun]  
> 1.  
> an explosive sound made by the sudden forcing of breath through one's nose, used to express indignation, derision, or incredulity.  
> "he gave a snort of disgust"  
> verb  
> 1.  
> make a sudden sound through one's nose, especially to express indignation or derision.  
> "she snorted with laughter"

Naruto meets up with his friends in the cafeteria in the morning. They greet him cheerily.

“Hey guys,” he replies.

“N-Naruto,” Hinata pipes up shyly. “Did you do your homework?”

“Hm? Oh, yeah, my mom wouldn’t let me not do it,” he replies.

“Oh! Impressive,” Kiba teases.

“Shut up, I do my homework sometimes,” Naruto tells him.

His friends start laughing, and Naruto just scowls, crossing his arms. Shikamaru is the first to stop laughing. He nods behind Naruto.

“Sasuke’s looking at you,” he mentions.

Naruto turns and makes eye contact with the guy. He feels his face heat up and his frown deepens.

“Naruto, is something wrong?” Hinata asks softly. “You’re blushing.”

“I’m fine!” he snaps a little harsher than he meant, because damn it, why can’t he get that stupid picture out of his mind.

“Naruto,” Hinata replies, startled.

“Eh, sorry Hinata,” Naruto tells her.

“It’s okay,” she says.

“Seriously though, Naruto. You didn’t blush that much when he fell on top of you when you ran into each other during that baseball game,” Kiba adds. “Did something happen?”

“You gave him my number, that’s what happened,” Naruto growls.

“You said I could,” Kiba points out.

“Yeah, but I didn’t think he’d…” Naruto cuts himself off before he can finish his sentence with ‘send me a picture of himself’.

“Didn’t think I’d what?” Sasuke asks, having come up behind Naruto while he was talking to his friends.

Naruto jumps and turns to squint at him defiantly, keeping his mouth shut.

Sasuke’s smirking. Again. Naruto finds himself wanting to lean in and kiss that stupid smirk off him, but just when he realizes what he’s thinking, Sasuke looks away from him and around at Naruto’s friends. The loss of his gaze somehow makes Naruto feel lonely, but he ignores it, dismissing the feeling as nothing.

“Hello,” Sasuke greets.

“Hey, Sasuke,” Kiba replies.

“Yo,” Shikamaru says.

“Hi Sasuke,” Sakura adds.

Choji, Lee, Neji, and Hinata just wave hello.

“What did you do to him?” Shikamaru asks, smiling.

“Nothing. I just told him he should come over to my place sometime to study,” Sasuke lies. “If anything, he’s the one who did something embarrassing.”

Naruto scowls but remains silent, knowing that the only thing he could do to refute that would compromise this strange new secret between them.

His lack of a reaction seems to surprise some of his friends, because they look at him and some of their expressions shift.

“Are you talking about his lack of grammar?” Sakura questions.

“Yes,” Sasuke says.

“Sasuke,” a blonde girl coos, attaching herself to his arm.

Sasuke makes a brief expression of disgust before pulling his arm away from her.

“What do you want, Ino?” he asks her coldly.

“That’s harsh. I just want to talk!” she tells him, pouting.

“You’re annoying,” he says.

She narrows her eyes and then glances around at Naruto’s friends, her gaze lingering on Naruto himself. She looks him up and down.

“I can’t believe you’d choose him over me,” she mutters.

Then she turns on her heel and storms away, her long light hair bouncing in its ponytail. Sasuke doesn’t watch her go.

“I’m sorry about that,” he tells everyone.

“Don’t worry about it. I think Naruto’s more bothered than anyone,” Shikamaru replies.

Sure enough, a glance at Naruto confirms it. His eyes are narrowed in Ino’s direction, and his arms are crossed defensively, his shoulders raised. His mouth is slightly open in a sneer, and it’s obvious that he’s lost in thought. Sasuke snorts and rolls his eyes.

“Still not gay though,” Kiba states.

Naruto finally snaps out of it and turns back to his friends and Sasuke, looking surprised.

“What?” he asks.

“Nothing,” Choji replies, all of them chuckling.

Naruto looks over at Sasuke to find even him laughing, and his jaw drops a little. Part of him just really wants Sasuke to laugh more than he does. Then it’s over far too soon for Naruto’s taste, and he finds himself frowning.

“What now?” Sasuke asks, smiling lightly.

“Iyeum,” Naruto says.

He clears his throat and his frown deepens at his inability to form a coherent word. His friends laugh at him again, and Sasuke’s smile widens. His expression is softer than usual, almost fond. If people didn’t know him better, they might assume that he likes Naruto. But of course, that’s preposterous. This is Sasuke, renowned Cold Hearted Bitch™.

“So gay,” Shikamaru comments.

The others make sounds of consensus.

“W-Wait a minute!” Naruto stammers. “I’m not gay! Especially not for this asshole!”

Sasuke puts a hand on his shoulder and leans in close to whisper in his ear so the others won’t hear. Naruto’s heart starts beating faster, and his eyes widen at how close Sasuke is. His stomach does a flip when a bit of Sasuke’s hair brushes his collar bone.

“If you’re not gay,” Sasuke whispers. “Then what the hell was last night’s text?”

Naruto blushes and he stiffens, staring into space with wide eyes.

Sasuke pulls away, smirking.

“I think you broke him,” Choji notices.

“Yep,” Shikamaru agrees.

“What did you say?” Lee asks, confused.

“I just reminded him of something,” Sasuke admits with a shrug.

Hinata’s eyebrows raise in surprise, her mouth slightly open.

“N-Naruto,” she calls. “Are you okay?”

Naruto doesn’t reply, still apparently shocked into silence.

“He’s comatose,” Sakura sighs.

“I think so too,” Lee agrees.

Neji snaps his fingers in front of his eyes and Naruto wakes up. He shakes his head and glares at Sasuke.

“If I’m gay for that, so are you!” he retorts.

“Naruto,” Sasuke replies patiently. “I am gay.”

Everyone jumps, and Sakura points at Sasuke.

“What?!” she exclaims.

He looks around.

“What, you guys didn’t know?” he asks.

A lot of the guys are just staring. Sakura looks angry. Lee is shaking his head no. Naruto is blushing fiercely, and his jaw has dropped completely. Sasuke smirks and shrugs.

“Well, I guess I wasn’t that obvious about it,” he admits.

“‘That obvious’?!” Naruto exclaims.

Sasuke laughs again and flicks Naruto on the forehead.

“Idiot,” he calls him.

Naruto pouts and rubs the spot that Sasuke flicked, but he obviously isn’t angry. This surprises the others even more, because usually Naruto would be throwing punches by this point. But instead, he’s pouting. And staring at Sasuke’s lips.

“Naruto, Sasuke could shout that he’s in love with you, and you’d still be more obvious than him,” Kiba comments.

Naruto glares at him, not for the first time rethinking his sexuality thanks to Sasuke. But this time, he doesn’t dismiss the idea immediately.

When the bell rings and they all head off to class, Naruto has Sasuke on his mind all day. He only pays enough attention to learn that he has a test in math on Monday. His entire class groans at the news, despite having the Friday and the whole weekend to study (it’s Thursday). Naruto then remembers that Sasuke said he’d help him study. Now might be the time to take him up on that offer. Despite the reveal of Sasuke’s sexuality, and the fact that Naruto is now questioning his own.

At the end of the day, Naruto finds Sasuke before he can get to the buses, and he decides to ask him.

“Hey, Sasuke, so apparently I have this big math test coming up, and I could really use your help studying for it,” Naruto says.

“Okay. When do you want to come over?” Sasuke replies casually, ignoring the two girls trying to start a conversation with him, making them glare at Naruto dangerously.

“Eh, well I was thinking maybe you could come over to my place, since that way I can just drive us after school. And that way I don’t have to bring my textbook and stuff either,” Naruto tells him. “And maybe tomorrow? The test is on Monday.”

“Okay. See you later, Naruto,” Sasuke says.

“Yeah, you too. Thanks for this,” Naruto responds, starting to walk away with a wave.

“Bye,” Sasuke calls, waving back with a small smile.

The girls scoff and stomp off in a huff.

Sasuke sighs as they leave, relieved, and gets on his bus.

~*~*~

Naruto gets in his car and puts his hands on the steering wheel. He’s grinning like a fool and he turns on the radio. He switches through a few station before he finds one that’s playing some decent music. He taps along to the beat of the song as he drives, feeling excited. Or at least, more so than usual. He doesn’t have any homework tonight, which is great because he wouldn’t be able to focus on it anyway.

Instead, he goes out back to find his dad.

As Naruto approaches the workshop, he hears the sound of one of his dad’s saws and grabs one of the pairs of noise-cancelling headphones hanging from a hook on the outside of the door before he walks in.

His dad is focused on the piece he’s cutting right now, so Naruto stands in the corner, watching. When his dad is done, he looks up and smiles at Naruto.

“Hey there! I didn’t hear you come in,” he says, after turning off the saw and they both take off the headsets.

“Hi Dad. Hey, I was wondering if Sasuke could come over after school tomorrow to help me study for this big math test?” Naruto asks.

“Sure thing!” he replies. “I’d love to meet the famous Sasuke Uchiha.”

“Dad! Stop, it’s not like I like him or anything,” Naruto defends.

“That blush says otherwise.”

Naruto growls and says that he’s going to be in his room. His dad just laughs.

Naruto gets back up to his room and picks up his phone. Kiba is texting him through the group chat between himself, Naruto, Choji, and Shikamaru.

Text From: Kiba 3:31  
Naruto youd better tell me what was up with you and Sasuke today  
Text From: Naruto 3:37  
Its nothing  
Text From: Choji 3:38  
Yeah right  
Text From: Shikamaru 3:39  
Whatever it was, i’m sure it wasn’t so embarrassing you cant tell us.  
Text From: Naruto 3:40  
I really dont think you gusy need to know  
Text From: Kiba 3:41  
That was a pretty off typo, even for you  
Text From: Naruto 3:43  
So waht  
Text From: Shikamaru 3:44  
So, youre rushing to reply. Or youre nervous  
Text From: Naruto 3:47  
Im not telling you guys  
Text From: Choji 3:48  
Ill bring you some of my moms cookies  
Text From: Kiba 3:49  
And i’ll stop calling you gay  
Text From: Naruto 3:51  
Its pointless. im not cracking  
Text From: Shikamaru 3:53  
Must be pretty embarrassing then  
Text From: Naruto 3:54  
You shut up  
Text From: Shikamaru 3:55  
What if I ask Sasuke  
Text From: Naruto 3:56  
He wont tell you either  
Text From: Shikamaru 3:57  
Why not?  
Text From: Kiba 4:01  
Naruto are you there  
Text From: Choji 4:03  
Hes ghosting us  
Text From: Kiba 4:04  
What do you guys think happened between them  
Text From: Choji 4:05  
I bet they asked each other out  
Text From: Shikamaru 4:06  
Have you met Naruto?  
Text From: Choji 4:07  
Fine then whats your idea  
Text From: Shikamaru 4:08  
Sasuke probably brought up something stupid Naruto did and humiliated him for it.  
Text From: Kiba 4:10  
Guys what if they shared nudes  
Text From: Shikamaru 4:12  
Are you insane  
Text From: Shikamaru 4:12  
Do you even realize who youre talking about?  
Text From: Kiba 4:13  
Yes  
Text From: Choji 4:14  
I dont know why but that seems frighteningly likely  
Text From: Shikamaru 4:15  
When I think about it, I agree  
Text From: Naruto 4:16  
OH MY GOD I LEAVE FOR 20 MINUTES AND COME BACK TO THIS  
Text From: Shikamaru 4:17  
Oh hey Naruto, where were you?  
Text From: Naruto 4:17  
I WAS GETTING A SNACK WHAT THE HELL GUYS  
Text From: Kiba 4:18  
You sure you werent sending Sasuke nudes?  
Text From: Naruto 4:19  
NOT FUNNY  
Text From: Kiba 4:20  
Sorry  
Text From: Choji 4:21  
If were wrong tell us what really happened  
Text From: Naruto 4:23  
Like Sasuke said this morning, he just said I could study with him.  
Text From: Shikamaru 4:24  
You think we’re going to believe that?  
Text From: Kiba 4:25  
Naruto just cut the shit and tell us what really happened  
Text From: Choji 4:26  
Itll be easier  
Text From: Naruto 4:27  
NO  
Text From: Shikamaru 4:28  
Whatever. You can’t hold out forever

Naruto groans, exasperated, and tosses his phone across the room. It luckily lands on his bean bag chair, and he get up to get it so he can charge it in, first checking it for any new cracks. It’s fine. Naruto sighs and collapses in his beanbag chair, facing the TV in the corner of his room. It’s not connected to cable, but it can play movies and he has a console, so he puts in one of his favorite games and starts playing.

After dying for a second time, Naruto hears his mom’s car pull up in the driveway. He looks out his window and sees that the sun is setting already. He checks his phone; six thirty. Tonight’s one of mom’s cooking nights. And since it’s also Thursday, that probably means lasagna. Of course, Naruto doesn’t mind in the slightest. Mom’s lasagna is the best. The front door opens and he hears his parents saying hello and having a short conversation.

Then she calls upstairs for Naruto. He pauses the game and heads downstairs.

“Hi Mom,” he says when he sees her.

“Hello, Naruto. Did you have a nice day?” she asks.

“Yeah. Oh, Sasuke’s coming over after school tomorrow to help me study for a math test.”

“That’s great!” she replies. “I can’t wait to meet my future son-in-law.”

Naruto groans and starts to head back upstairs.

“Hold on, Naruto. I’ve got a present for you as a reward for that B yesterday,” his mom mentions, immediately catching his attention.

“We’re having ramen tomorrow, for dinner,” she says.

“Oh my god! Thank you!” Naruto crows, hugging her tightly.

She laughs and hugs him back, avoiding hitting him with her briefcase.

“You’re welcome. Keep up the good work and you just might have something better than a D,” she replies.

Naruto laughs nervously and steps away, scratching the back of his head.

“You’re a Junior. It’s high time you started trying to get into college,” she scolds.

“Right, yeah,” Naruto replies.

“Go back to what you were doing. I’m going to start making dinner,” she tells him.

He wastes no time in turning around and speeding back upstairs.

His phone is lit up with a new notification as he comes through the doorway.

Text From: Sasuke 6:37  
Hey Naruto, sorry to ask this, but can I spend the night tomorrow? Ino and a few others apparently figured out my home address and plan to invade.  
Text From: Naruto 6:39  
Lol let me go ask

Naruto goes to his doorway and calls downstairs.

“Mom! Dad! Can Sasuke spend the night tomorrow, too?”

“Why?” his dad replies.

“These girls found out where he lives and I guess they’re going to go over unannounced tomorrow night,” Naruto tells him.

“Sure,” his mom responds.

“Popular guy, huh?” Naruto’s dad comments casually. “Must be a real attractive fellow.”

“He is,” Naruto admits, not thinking anything of his response until his dad looks up at him from the living room couch below, eyebrows raised.

“I-I-I mean, for a guy!” Naruto tries. “I don’t have a crush on him, Dad!”

“You brought Sakura home once, but other than that you’ve never brought a girl over. And all you ever talk about is Sasuke, and when it’s football season, that. What are we supposed to think?” his dad calls.

Naruto rolls his eyes and tosses his hands in the air before going back into his room.

Text From: Naruto 6:51  
Sure  
Text From: Sasuke 6:53  
Thanks Naruto  
Text From: Naruto 6:54  
By the way my parents also think I like you, but I dont ok?  
Text From: Sasuke 6:55  
Do I need to send you another picture?  
Text From: Naruto 6:57  
Fuck you  
Text From: Sasuke 6:58  
I’d prefer it to be the other way around.  
Text From: Naruto 7:00  
Cut it out  
Text From: Sasuke 7:01  
Cut what out?  
Text From: Naruto 7:02  
The gay shit  
Text From: Sasuke 7:03  
I have no idea what you’re talking about.  
Text From: Naruto 7:04  
>:(  
Text From: Sasuke 7:05  
Just admit that you’re bi already  
Text From: Naruto 7:07  
Whats bi  
Text From: Sasuke 7:08  
Well that explains it. You don’t know that you can like girls AND boys.  
Text From: Naruto 7:10  
Thats a thing?  
Text From: Sasuke 7:11  
Yes, idiot. It’s called being bisexual. I’m just gay, but I’ve been with bi guys before.  
Text From: Naruto 7:14  
Ill be right back  
Text From: Sasuke 7:15  
You’re googling it aren’t you?  
Text From: Sasuke 7:17  
Yep, you are.

Indeed, Naruto went over to his computer and googled “bisexual”. The definition and the realization that this is a thing astounds him. He reads a couple of articles about it, takes a personality quiz, and watches a YouTube video.

Text From: Naruto 7:36  
Oh my god  
Text From: Naruto 7:37  
Im bi  
Text From: Sasuke 7:38  
Told you so  
Text From: Naruto 7:39  
And im bi for you  
Text From: Sasuke 7:40  
I’m pretty sure everyone told you so.  
Text From: Naruto 7:41  
Oh my god i feel enlightened  
Text From: Sasuke 7:42  
You going to tell anyone besides me?  
Text From: Naruto 7:43  
I should  
Text From: Sasuke 7:44  
Yes you should  
Text From: Naruto 7:45  
But i dont relly want to  
Text From: Sasuke 7:46  
You were doing so well. No spelling mistakes until just then.  
Text From: Naruto 7:47  
Shut up im stil gettin over this  
Text From: Naruto 7:48  
I kinda wnt this to be between us  
Text From: Sasuke 7:49  
I won’t tell anyone if you don’t want me to.  
Text From: Naruto 7:50  
Thanks Sasuke

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New Chapter coming within a week. Two days, if I find the time.


	3. Sleepover

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sasuke comes over to Naruto's to help him study, and spends the night.

“Come on, Sasuke. My car’s over here,” Naruto says, pulling Sasuke along by the arm.

“What’s the hurry?” Sasuke asks.

“My mom promised me ramen tonight,” Naruto states, fishing his keys out of his pocket and unlocking his used, red Toyota Corolla.

Sasuke stops and starts laughing.

“You’re this excited over ramen?” he asks as he calms down.

“Yep! Now get in, My house is like half an hour away,” Naruto says.

‘Cute’ Sasuke thinks. He slips into the passenger side and Naruto starts the car right as he’s buckling his seatbelt. The radio is turned on, so Naruto turns it down but not off. Sasuke smiles at Naruto’s music taste.

“There are better stations you know,” Sasuke says.

“Go ahead,” Naruto replies, gesturing to the console as he makes a turn.

Sasuke scrolls through the stations until he finds his favorite, a station broadcast from all the way in the city. He smiles as it starts playing the latest alt rock.

“You’re joking. Favorite artist or band?” Naruto asks.

“Twenty One Pilots,” Sasuke replies with a challenging tilt to his head.

“Rihanna,” Naruto says.

“Do you listen to Taylor Swift too?” Sasuke questions.

“Of course.”

“Oh my god. I like an idiot with a pop genre fetish,” Sasuke comments.

“Wait a minute, what?! First of all, you like me? Secondly, it is not a fetish,” Naruto exclaims.

“Whatever,” Sasuke replies, rolling his eyes. “And yes, I like you. So what.”

Naruto stares at the road ahead, his grip tightening on the steering wheel as he blushes.

“You told me you were bi, and you sent me a picture of your dick,” Sasuke reminds him.

“I know,” Naruto replies through gritted teeth.

“Your hardon from seeing me shirtless,” Sasuke adds.

“Is there a point to this?” Naruto growls, his knuckles white.

“And you still say you aren’t into me,” Sasuke clarifies.

Naruto is silent for a moment.

“I just don’t know, alright?” Naruto says quietly.

Sasuke turns off the radio and looks at Naruto. He doesn’t look away from the road.

“Naruto,” Sasuke says gently.

“What?” Naruto asks calmly.

“I’m sorry,” Sasuke replies.

“Sorry for what? Turning me bi? Because I’m not sure when I started crushing on you but it was long before those pictures,” Naruto claims.

Sasuke is startled. Naruto is blushing even more, but his grip on the steering wheel has loosened a bit. They drive the rest of the way in silence, until they pull up in Naruto’s driveway and he announces that they’re there.

“Will you go out with me?” Sasuke asks.

“What?” Naruto replies dumbly.

“I asked if you’ll be my boyfriend,” Sasuke rephrases.

“Uh, I-I guess? I don’t want the others to know yet though, it’ll be kind of weird,” Naruto says.

“So what? Half the school already thinks we’re dating,” Sasuke tells him.

Naruto pulls the key out of the ignition and faces Sasuke at last.

“So then… can I introduce you to my parents as my boyfriend tonight?”

“Yeah,” Sasuke replies with a grin. “I’d like that.”

Naruto smiles back nervously but excitedly. They get out of the car, grabbing their bags before Naruto locks it, and head inside. Naruto leads Sasuke upstairs to drop off their bags. Then he takes him out back to meet his dad. Since the saw isn’t going off, they don’t grab headphones before going into the workshop.

“Hey Dad,” Naruto says. “This is Sasuke.”

The man looks up and extends his calloused hand for Sasuke to shake.

“Nice to finally meet you,” he tells Sasuke.

“You too, Mr. Uzumaki,” Sasuke replies, shaking it.

“Naruto talks about you a lot.”

“I understand why,” Sasuke responds.

Naruto’s dad looks at Naruto for clarification and Naruto puffs out his chest before delivering the big news.

“Dad,” he says. “Sasuke’s my boyfriend!”

Naruto’s dad grins as he goes back to work, sanding a piece of wood into shape.

“Finally,” he says.

“What?” Naruto asks incredulously.

“I said finally, you’re going out with him. Naruto, it’s been obvious for a year and a half. Go text your mother and tell her he’s here,” Naruto’s dad tells him.

Sasuke smirks and takes his new boyfriend’s hand.

“Told you so,” Sasuke mutters in his ear before giving Naruto a peck on the cheek that has him blushing brightly again.

“Come on, jerk,” Naruto replies softly, pulling him back towards the main house.

Sasuke follows happily.

Back in Naruto’s room, he picks up his phone and does as his dad asked. Then he opens the group chat with all of his friends, including Neji, Hinata, Lee, and Sakura.

Text From: Naruto 3:37  
Guys ive got some news  
Text From: Shikamaru 3:39  
Are you gay?  
Text From: Naruto 3:40  
Sort of. It turns out im bi  
Text From: Kiba 3:41  
What  
Text From: Sakura<3 3:43  
WHAT?!  
Text From: Choji 3:44  
Finally

“You fucking idiot,” Sasuke calls him, looking at his own phone.

“What?” Naruto asks.

“You do realize that I’m in this chat too, right?” he questions.

“Oh. Right. Whatever, you can just text them and tell them it’s true,” Naruto says.

“Check the new messages,” Sasuke replies patiently.

Naruto does.

Text From: Shikamaru 3:44  
I told you guys  
Text From: Lee 3:44  
Why am I not surprised  
Text From: Neji 3:44  
You were so obvious  
Text From: Sasuke 3:45  
He really was, to everyone but himself.  
Text From: Kiba 3:46  
Yep

“HEY!” Naruto exclaims.

“It’s true,” Sasuke replies with a shrug.

Naruto starts growling but Sasuke crawls over to him and presses their lips together, silencing him.

Text From: Neji 3:48

How much do you want to bet they’re arguing right now?

Text From: Shikamaru 3:49

If I bet on that I’d lose all my money.

Text From: Kiba 3:50

Lol

Naruto is staring at Sasuke in pleasant surprise, a finger to his lips with ruffled hair.

Sasuke takes a picture of him, smirking.

Text From: Sakura 3:57  
Sasuke Ino keeps texting me saying you invited her over but you're not there.  
Text From: Sasuke 3:58  
I did not invite her.  
Text From: Sakura 3:59  
Whatever, just text her and tell her that.  
Text From: Sasuke 4:00  
I don't have her number  
Text From: Sakura 4:02  
Here (202)555-0198

Sasuke doesn't text her back. Instead he texts Ino.

Text From: <3Sasuke<3 4:03  
Is this Ino?  
Text From: (202)555-0198 4:05  
Yes it is, Sasuke!  
Text From: <3Sasuke<3 4:06  
I'm not going home until you leave.  
Text From: (202)555-0198 4:07  
What if I stay all night?  
Text From: <3Sasuke<3 4:08  
I don't care. I have a place to stay.  
Text From: (202)555-0198 4:09  
Wheres that?  
Text From: (202)555-0198 4:14  
Sasuke?  
Text From: (202)555-0198 4:17  
Fine, I see how it is. I'll go.

Naruto sighs, reading the messages over his boyfriend's shoulder.

"She is really persistent," he notices.

"Yeah," Sasuke replies dully. "It's obnoxious."

"More obnoxious than me?" Naruto asks.

"No, not quite," Sasuke answers with a smirk.

Naruto growls and tackles him, pinning him to the ground with his hands held harshly above his head. Naruto straddles Sasuke's lap and leans his face close enough that their breath intermingles. It makes Sasuke's heart rate increase and his breath shorten. He looks up at Naruto with surpsied eyes and flushed cheeks.

Suddenly, his smirk returns and he snorts.

"What, something wrong? Scaredy cat," Sasuke taunts quietly, lifting his chin defiantly.

"Sasuke," Naruto growls.

Then he's kissing him, not a simple peck or even a slightly prolonged kiss like before, no, this is hot, open-mouthed, and laced with sexual tension.

When they finally separate, they stare at each other as they try to get their breath back. They break out into breathless laughter and Sasuke hysterically asks if that just happened.

"I-I think so," Naruto replies, dazed.

They sit up and start laughing again.

"You are a really good kisser," Naruto tells him.

"You're a pretty sloppy one, but that was better than any kiss with a girl I've ever had," Sasuke admits with a shrug and a soft smile.

Naruto chuckles again. Then it registers.

"Wait, but you're gay!" he shouts accusatorily.

Sasuke's smirking again.

"Fine then, I guess I just have to kiss you until I'm a good kisser then," Naruto exclaims.

"Come on, Naruto. We're supposed to be preparing you for your math test," Sasuke reminds him.

"Hm. Alright," Naruto concedes.

They pull their backpacks towards them and naruto pulls out his textbook.

"You're still in Algebra 2?" Sasuke asks.

"Yes. What class are you in?"

"I would be in Calculus, but I stopped taking extra math classes after Pre-Calc last year," Sasuke tells him.

"Oh. Right, you're in advanced classes," Naruto remembers.

"Yeah. Now, what do you need help understanding?"

"All of it," Naruto groans.

"All of what?"

"Chapter Five. Imaginary numbers are okay and all, but how do I know what something's root is? And how do I know when to add an i? And what's a quadratic?" Naruto asks.

"Do you have a graphing calculator?" Sasuke asks.

"Yeah, I'd be even more hopeless without it," Naruto says.

Sasuke smirks and tells him to get it out. Naruto puts it in between them on the floor.

"So a quadratic is just an equation with a squared x."

"Oh."

"It always curves."

"Okay."

"If the squared term is negative, the curve, called a parabola, opens down."

"Yeah?"

"And if it's positive, it opens up."

"Okay."

"Now, you can graph it by just typing the equation in here," Sasuke tells him, showing Naruto on the calculator.

Naruto nods his understanding. Sasuke adds in an equation.

"You have to put a point in the table too, or it won't graph," Sasuke says.

"Oh!" Naruto exclaims.

He snatches back his calculator and adds in the point (0,0). The he presses a few more buttons to find the values of X and Y.

"Ooohh," Naruto draws out, his eyes wide. "This is super easy!"

"Yeah. A lot better than matrices, huh?" Sasuke asks.

Naruto shudders and agrees.

"So, do you understand quadratics?" Sasuke asks.

"Yeah, thanks. How about imaginary numbers?"

Sasuke teaches him that, too. By the time Naruto's mom is home, Naruto is pretty sure he's going to get his best score ever on a math test. He tells Sasuke as much and receives a kiss as a reward.

"If you get an A, I'll blow you after school," Sasuke promises.

"Wh-what?" Naruto asks, incredulous.

Sasuke smirks and watches his new boyfriend.

"Oh. You were joking. Right," Naruto replies.

"Who said I was joking?"

Naruto blushes and looks down.

"It just… I don't…"

"Relax, idiot," Sasuke murmurs, pressing a kiss to his forehead.

"Naruto?!" Naruto's mom yells from downstairs.

"Yeah?!" he yells back, the sudden volume making Sasuke wince.

Naruto shoots him an apologetic smile.

"I'm coming up to see you!" she informs them. "You'd better be studying!"

They hear her stomping up the stairs and look at each other, smiling.

She cracks the door open and looks disappointed when they really were studying.

"Oh. Oh, hello, you must be Sasuke!" she exclaims.

"Hello Mrs. Uzumaki," he replies with a wave.

"Please, call me Susan," she tells him.

He smiles softly and nods.

"It's nice to meet the boy my son never shut up about. And to know he's so attractive!"

"Mom! He's my boyfriend!" Naruto tells her.

She stops talking and grins.

"I should hope so," she replies. "For the last year, you couldn't go two days without complaining about how attractive he is."

"Mom," Naruto groans. "I was complaining! I hated him!"

"Sure, honey. You're blushing. Anyway, I'll go convince your father to make the ramen.” 

“Woohoo!” Naruto cheers.

“Idiot,” Sasuke calls him.

Naruto’s mom gets a very Sasuke-like smirk on her face.  
“Well, it was a pleasure to meet you Sasuke. Dinner will be ready in a bit,” Naruto’s mom says.

“Thank you,” he replies.

She smiles and leaves.

Naruto and Sasuke look at each other.

“So that’s your mom?” Sasuke asks.

“Yeah. Well, I’m adopted, but yeah. My parents died before I was old enough to remember them,” Naruto claims.

“Must be nice,” Sasuke comments.

Naruto looks at him sharply.

“What do you mean?”

“To not remember your parents’ death,” Sasuke clarifies. “And to be actually adopted.”

“Sasuke, what...?” Naruto starts.

“What happened to me? Sorry, but you must be at least a level 4 friend to unlock that information,” he teases.

“Level 4? I’m your boyfriend!” Naruto shouts.

“Still a level 3. We’ve only been dating for a few hours, idiot,” Sasuke reminds him.

Naruto crosses his arms and growls.

Sasuke smirks and closes his eyes for a moment. His smirk dissipates as he recalls the circumstances of his family.

“Let’s put away your notes and everything,” Sasuke suggests.

“Alright,” Naruto agrees.

Afterwards, Sasuke and Naruto sit for a moment until Naruto’s dad calls them down for dinner. They eat up in Naruto’s room, watching a movie. Afterwards, they take their dishes downstairs, then go play video games. Naruto finds out that Sasuke is even more of an active gamer than he is, and it’s funny.

They both have a great time. They stay up until well past midnight, and Naruto just passes out around 2:30. Sasuke smirks at him and lifts him up to carry him bridal-style into his bed. He tucks his boyfriend in and then curls up with a few blankets on the air mattress that Naruto’s mom provided for them.

~*~*~*~

Sasuke has another nightmare. This is why he hates falling asleep. Half the time, he wakes up in a cold sweat, gasping for breath.

In the nightmare, he relives his parents’ death. He relives finding his brother standing over a body with a bloody knife in one hand and an expression of maniacal glee on his face. He relives waking up in the hospital to identify his parents’ mutilated corpses. And that’s always the point at which he wakes up.

Tonight is no exception.

At five in the morning, Sasuke sits up in a strange bed, in a strange room, with the lingering fear from his dream, and it sets off a panic attack. He curls up and grabs his knees, eyes wide with fear. He feels someone wrap comforting arms around him until he stops shaking, and starts to settle down.

“Naruto,” Sasuke whispers.

“Sh, I’m here,” Naruto replies softly, still hugging Sasuke.

Sasuke slowly reaches around to hug him back.

“Sorry,” he says.

“For what?” Naruto questions.

“What just happened,” Sasuke tells him.

“It’s fine,” Naruto replies, pulling away but taking a hold of Sasuke’s hands.

Sasuke doesn’t meet his gaze. He feels Naruto’s eyes on him and looks away farther.

“Sasuke, do you need to tell me what happened in your nightmare?”

Naruto’s use of the word need was very specific. He didn’t say want, because he knows Sasuke doesn’t really want to talk about it. Yet both of them know that he should.

“I… remembered my parents, and my brother, again,” Sasuke admits, still looking away.

“What about them?” Naruto probes gently.

“My parents’ deaths, and what my… what happened to my brother,” Sasuke says, looking back at their hands.

“If you’re afraid of my parents overhearing, they went to bed a long time ago and it’s really early in the morning,” Naruto whispers.

“That’s not it. I’m scared of what you’ll think,” Sasuke replies.

“Of what? Of you? Sasuke, I know that who you used to be, or who you used to be connected to has nothing to do with the kind of person you are now,” Naruto tells him, his voice laced with emotion.

Sasuke notices tears at the corners of Naruto’s eyes and he wipes them away with one hand, gently, reverently, as if they pain him. Then he looks down again.

“Naruto, my brother murdered his best friend. He’s serving a life sentence in prison,” Sasuke responds.

“Wow,” Naruto comments.

Sasuke bites his lower lip and nods.

“My parents… they died in a car accident. I survived because I was in the backseat, but it was a head-on collision. I was seven, and I remember everything,” Sasuke claims.

“I’m so sorry,” Naruto responds.

Sasuke shakes his head.

“What happened to your parents?” he asks.

“I don’t completely know. No one does, exactly. They were murdered though. By who, I’m not sure. Whoever it was, I’ll find them, no matter what!” Naruto growls, his voice husky by the end of his statement. “That’s why I’m going to become a police officer.”

The ferocity in Naruto’s tone makes Sasuke look up at him again, slightly awed.

“You want to be an officer?” he asks.

Naruto nods.

“Woah. I don’t know what I want to be. I’ve been aiming for doctor, since it’s a high-paying profession, but sometimes I don’t really want to do that,” Sasuke claims.

Naruto nods again understandingly.

“You could probably be whatever you wanted to,” Naruto tells him.

“Yeah. Thanks. I just don’t know what I want,” Sasuke says.

“Alright. Hey, you could always open a ramen shop,” Naruto suggests.

Sasuke huffs and says, “Naruto, I’m serious. I tell you my life story and you make a joke.”

“Sorry, sorry. Really though, your grades are really good. Is there something you’re really good at?” Naruto asks.

“Everything,” Sasuke replies with a groan.

“Hm. What about special talents?”

“Well, I took martial arts for a while. I’m a lower-ranking black belt in Tae Kwon Do,” Sasuke replies.

“You could open up a dojo then,” Naruto suggests. “Or, you could become an officer with me.”

Sasuke looks up again.

“That might be fun,” he says.

Naruto grins.

“Well, then, it’s settled! You’ll be my partner, and we’ll find the person responsible for killing my parents!” he exclaims happily.

Sasuke snorts.

“You really are ridiculous, you know?”

Naruto laughs and scratches the back of his head nervously. Sasuke reaches forward and traces along the thin scars on one of his cheeks, matching the three on the other side.

“Naruto,” Sasuke murmurs.

“Hm?”

“What are these from?”

“Oh. I’ve had them my whole life. I guess it probably has something to do with my parents and this,” he replies, laying a hand over where his belly button is hidden by his shirt.

Sasuke gently reaches forward and pulls Naruto’s hand away to look at an intricate tattoo surrounding his belly button.

“Is this why you always wear undershirts?” Sasuke asks.

Naruto smiles softly and looks down at it. There’s a swirl surrounded by various characters.

“What is it?” Sasuke questions.

“I don’t know. But sometimes, when I’m really pissed off, it kind of sears and suddenly I feel really strong and it’s a lot easier to read my the other team’s movements and plans.”

“That’s why you’re quarterback,” Sasuke realizes.

“Yeah, I guess,” Naruto admits.

Sasuke lowers Naruto’s shirt hem again.

“Do you think it’s some religious thing?” Sasuke asks.

“Maybe. I don’t believe in a god, or gods, but my parents could’ve.”

“Me neither, but I know my parents were Christian,” Sasuke replies.

“Oh.”

They sit in awkward silence for a minute.

“I wish I knew my parents,” Naruto mutters.

“Yeah. I wish mine never had to--you know,” Sasuke says.

“Yeah,” Naruto replies. “Wait, if your family isn’t around, who takes care of you?”

“I’ve got a foster family,” Sasuke admits.

“Oh! I guess that’s good,” Naruto responds.

“Yeah, I guess,” Sasuke tells him.

“Are they nice?”

“Sure. They get kind of tired of my nightmares, hence why I live in the basement. And they don’t like the stalkers any more than I do,” Sasuke says.

“You can always come over if you want to,” Naruto offers.

“Thanks, Naruto. Listen, we should probably go back to sleep. You’ve already got some dark circles under your eyes,” Sasuke tells him, pointing.

Naruto chuckles and lies down on Sasuke’s air mattress.

“What are you doing?” Sasuke asks him.

“What does it look like?” Naruto replies. “I’m going to sleep with you. Maybe then you won’t have another nightmare tonight.”

Sasuke gapes at him, then snuggles into the space in front of Naruto. At first Sasuke faces him, but after they fall back asleep, he turns over and leans into Naruto’s chest. Naruto smiles in his sleep and throws an arm over Sasuke’s thin waist.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I'll try to update before next Wednesday again.


	4. Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto and Sasuke are invited to a party at Shikamaru's place.

Sasuke wakes up first, with the rays of sun coming through the blinds hitting the far wall. He hears Naruto’s soft snoring behind him and smiles warmly, staying in place. He closes his eyes again and starts drifting off again. Just as he enters a dream, the door to Naruto’s room opens and he feels Naruto stir behind him. He frowns at the loss of contact and looks towards the door. Naruto’s mom is standing with one hand over her mouth and the other on the doorknob.

She apologizes softly when she realizes that both boys are awake, and informs them that breakfast is ready.

Naruto thanks her sleepily and sits up, rubbing his eyes. His mom leaves the room, closing the door except for a crack. Sasuke looks over at Naruto and smirks at his bedhead. Then he realizes that his own is probably much worse and sprints to the bathroom before Naruto can get a good look.

He combs his hair down with his fingers, using a splash of water on the strays. He leaves the bathroom and heads back to Naruto’s room.

“Ngh, hey Sasuke,” Naruto yawns, stretching.

“Hi,” he replies, avoiding eye contact.

Naruto scrutinizes him.

“What?” Sasuke questions.

“Sorry. It’s nothing,” Naruto claims, looking around for his sweater.

He finds it on the floor, near his backpack, and puts it on. He leaves it unzipped, and Sasuke finally notices a necklace that Naruto is wearing. It has a small mineral on it, and Sasuke wonders where it came from.

“Naruto, what’s that?” he asks, reaching forward and touching it.

“Oh. Principal Tsunade gave it to me,” Naruto admits, looking down at it.

“Why?” Sasuke questions.

“We made a bet a few years back,” Naruto tells him with a shrug. “She didn’t think I could get all of my grades above an F, so I got them all up to Ds.”

“Wow. So she gave you that?”

“Yeah.”

“What would she have done if you didn’t manage?” Sasuke asks.

“She told me she’d make sure I never became a police officer.”

“That’s harsh.”

“I guess, but it worked,” Naruto says.

Sasuke looks at him, but can’t argue. It does indeed seem to have worked, after all. And maybe, Sasuke can convince him to scrape a B by the end of the year, with some positive reinforcement, of course.

“What are you smirking about now?” Naruto asks Sasuke wearily.

“Nothing,” he replies. “Just that maybe you’ll be able to get a B by the end of the year.”

Naruto snorts.

“I doubt it.”

“What if I reinforced every good grade you got?” Sasuke asks.

“What do you mean?” Naruto questions, narrowing his eyes.

Sasuke moves forward again, tilting Naruto’s head up by the chin.

“I think you can guess,” Sasuke murmurs, searching Naruto’s eyes for a glint of realization.

When he sees it, Sasuke smirks again and backs off.

“Come on. Your mom made us breakfast, didn’t she?” he asks.

Naruto watches him leave the room in his pajamas and follows slowly, hesitantly.

Downstairs, the smell of pancakes and bacon wafts throughout the house. The boys help themselves, and Naruto eats noticeably twice what Sasuke eats. Naruto’s parents notice, but don’t comment. Naruto always eats a lot. After breakfast, Naruto and his family thank Sasuke for coming over, and Naruto offers to drive him home. Sasuke reluctantly agrees.

They go back upstairs after breakfast, and take turns changing in the bathroom. Naruto just has to change his pants, but Sasuke puts on black skinny jeans and a white, short-sleeved button-up.

While Sasuke changes, Naruto texts his friends.

Text From: Naruto 10:42  
Hey Shikamaru you up  
Text From: Shikamaru 10:45  
Yeah  
Text From: Naruto 10:46  
Whatr yu doing  
Text From: Shikamaru 10:47  
Suffering through your typos, apparently  
Text From: Naruto 10:49  
-_-  
Text From: Shikamaru 10:50  
I’m just kidding. Hows Sasuke?  
Text From: Naruto 10:52  
Hes fine  
Text From: Shikamaru 10:53  
I thought you said he wasn’t spending the night.  
Text From: Naruto 10:56  
SHIKAMARU

Sasuke comes back and reads the texts over Naruto’s shoulder. He takes the phone from Naruto.

“Let me fix this,” he says.

Text From: Naruto 10:57  
Hes not  
Text From: Shikamaru 10:58  
Then if Choji and I went over right now, we wouldn’t see him?  
Text From: Naruto 11:00  
Why are you at Chojis  
Text From: Shikamaru 11:01  
Jeez Naruto I told you already that I was going to his place after school.  
Text From: Naruto 11:02  
Oh right  
Text From: Shikamaru 11:03  
Hey look out the window

Sasuke crosses the room and cautiously checks the street below. When Shikamaru and Choji look up at him, Shikamaru smirking, Sasuke steps away and turns to Naruto.

“Naruto, I think Shikamaru and Choji just saw me,” Sasuke says.

“What?!” Naruto exclaims, racing to the window.

“Yo, Naruto! So, Sasuke’s not here, huh?” Shikamaru calls after Naruto opens his window.

Naruto doesn’t reply. So Sasuke walks up behind him and puts a hand on the small of his boyfriend’s back. It’s not visible from where the other two are. Sasuke slips Naruto’s phone into the back pocket of the boy’s orange sweatpants.

“Yeah, I’m here. Why shouldn’t I be?” he calls.

“Because Naruto said you weren’t,” Shikamaru replies.

“I just helped him study for his math test,” Sasuke admits.

“Naruto’s studying?” Choji questions.

“Why does this surprise everyone?!” Naruto exclaims, throwing his hands up.

Sasuke smirks at him and the other two laugh.

“Hey Naruto, we wanted to invite you over to my place tonight for a party,” Shikamaru calls.

“Sure! Your parties are cool! Hey, Sasuke, do you wanna come too?”

“I probably shouldn’t,” he responds.

“Aw, come on! It’s not like there’ll be alcohol and drugs or anything!” Naruto says. He looks down at Shikamaru. “Right?”

“Right. Hey, can we come in?” Shikamaru replies.

“Oh! Yeah, come on up!” Naruto tells them.

Sasuke turns away from the window and back to Naruto’s room to make sure there isn’t any incriminating evidence on them. Their backpacks are in the corner of the room. Both their beds are a few feet apart and have messed up sheets. They both fell asleep in their regular clothes last night.

‘Everything looks fine,’ Sasuke thinks, right before Naruto’s friends come in.

“Yo,” Shikamaru says with a wave.

“Hey,” Naruto replies, grinning.

Sasuke keeps his expression stony.

Shikamaru looks around. Finding nothing unusual, he sits down on the edge of Naruto’s bed.

“Something wrong, Sasuke?” he asks.

“No. What makes you ask?”

“You look anxious,” Shikamaru tells him with a shrug.

Sasuke’s eyes shoot up in surprise.

It’s only when Naruto and Choji laugh that he realizes that was a joke.

“Oh,” Sasuke says.

“Sasuke, you should really be more expressive!” Naruto whines.

“Why?” Sasuke asks, turning to look at him.

“You’re really cute when you smile,” Naruto replies with a shrug and a calm expression.

Sasuke feels his face warming up and turns away, allowing his bangs to fall in the way of the others’ view.

“Naruto,” Shikamaru says with a surprised and interested tone.

“Hm?”

“Did something happen between you two last night?” he asks, raising an eyebrow. “Since when were you the one making stoic comments that make him blush?”

Sasuke and Naruto look at each other, Sasuke’s blush fading. They face the other two and shake their heads.

“Alright. Fine, I guess you’ll tell us eventually, or we’ll find out. Neither of you has ever exactly been subtle. Anyway, the party. You’re coming?” Shikamaru says.

“Yeah,” Sasuke responds.

“Great. See you at my place tonight, then,” he says.

“Yeah, see you,” Sasuke replies as Shikamaru and Choji start walking out.

After they’re gone, Naruto asks if Sasuke’s ready to go.

“Yeah,” he replies, not really wanting to leave. “I guess we should get going.”

“You can probably just spend the day here and walk over to Shikamaru’s with me later,” Naruto offers. “If you want to.”

“Yeah, thanks,” Sasuke replies, smiling.

“Great!” Naruto replies, grinning.

“Let me tell my family where I am,” Sasuke says, quickly pulling out his phone and sending a message.

“Alright, so… what do you want to do?” Naruto asks.

“Video games?” Sasuke requests.

“Absolutely,” Naruto responds.

They sit back down on Naruto’s beanbag chairs in front of his gaming station and turn everything on, picking up the controllers. Naruto has a limited edition fox-themed controller that he explains he got for his birthday one year. Sasuke gets the classic grey and black one that came with the game.

“What is it with you and foxes?” Sasuke mumbles.

Naruto shrugs.

“They’re cute, but really fierce too,” he tells him.

“Kind of like you,” Sasuke responds.

“Yeah,” Naruto says, smiling.

~*~*~*~

They play video games for hours, only taking a break to eat slightly burnt grilled cheese sandwiches, courtesy of Naruto’s dad.

They talk occasionally while they play, in between reactions from deaths and jump scares in-game. Each of them learns a lot about each other. Around 2:15 Sasuke gets a text. They wait until the quest they were on is finished before he checks it.

Text From: Sakura 2:34  
Sasuke, is Ino still at your house?  
Text From: Sasuke 2:42  
I don’t know  
Text From: Sakura 2:43  
Oh. Haven’t you gone home yet?  
Text From: Sasuke 2:45  
No  
Text From: Sakura 2:46  
Where are you anyway?  
Text From: Sasuke 2:47  
I’m at Naruto’s  
Text From: Sakura 2:49  
...Why?  
Text From: Sasuke 2:50  
I was helping him study.  
Text From: Sakura 2:51  
Really?  
Text From: Sasuke 2:52  
Yes. He’s determined to do well this year.  
Text From: Sakura 2:54  
What did you do?  
Text From: Sasuke 2:55  
What do you mean?  
Text From: Sakura 2:56  
What incentive did you give him?  
Text From: Sasuke 2:57  
I didn’t do anything. It’s all him.  
Text From: Sakura 2:58  
I doubt that.  
Text From: Sasuke 2:59  
Has he told you what he wants to do when he’s older?  
Text From: Sakura 3:01  
He has a plan?  
Text From: Sasuke 3:03  
If he hasn’t already told you, it isn’t my place to do so.  
Text From: Sakura 3:04  
Fine

“Who were you texting?” Naruto inquires as Sasuke puts his phone away.

“Sakura. She wanted to know why I’m over at your house.”

“I thought so,” Naruto sighs. “It’s going to be hard to keep this a secret. Part of me wants to tell my friends.”

“Yeah. But part of me doesn’t want you injured by my fan club,” Sasuke retorts.

Naruto sighs and looks deflated. Sasuke leans over and kisses his cheek to cheer him up slightly.

“We can tell some of them. I’m sure it won’t be a surprise,” Sasuke suggests.

“If we tell any of my friends, the others are going to find out too.”

“Alright,” Sasuke responds. “I guess we don’t say anything until a you’re ready.”

“Yeah, thanks.”

They pick up the game where they left off. Sasuke asks Naruto if he ever draws.

“No. Why? Do you?”

“Yes.”

“Really? What do you draw?” Naruto asks, sparing a glance towards Sasuke.

“Mostly people and landscapes. Anime-style stuff though,” Sasuke replies.

“Oh. Cool. You should show me sometime,” Naruto tells him.

“Maybe.”

Naruto gets killed in-game and waits for Sasuke to revive him with a dramatic sigh. Sasuke smirks and snorts before going off to find the spawn point.

Naruto’s Dad comes upstairs around 6:45 to ask the boys about when Sasuke is going to go home.

“Oh, I’m taking him to Shikamaru’s later, for a party. I’ll drop him off at his place afterwards,” Naruto replies, not looking up from the screen.

“Well, shouldn’t you get going soon?” Naruto’s dad questions.

“What time is it?” Naruto questions.

“Almost 7.”

“Oh. Yeah, I guess. Sasuke, let’s pause it and head over there,” Naruto says. “Thanks, Dad!”

“Sure thing, sport. See you later.”

Naruto’s dad waves and leaves the room.

Naruto and Sasuke save the game and turn it off before they go. They walk over to Shikamaru’s, since it’s even closer than Choji’s house. Kiba greets Naruto warmly at the door, but pauses when he sees Sasuke.

“Uh, hey,” Kiba says.

“Hi,” Sasuke replies.

“Come on in, I guess,” Kiba tells them, stepping aside.

“Are Shikamaru’s parents here?” Naruto asks.

“No,” Kiba responds. “Hey, I’m going to go get a drink. If you want anything, it’s probably in the kitchen.”

“Awesome, thanks Kiba.”

A distant chant of “chug, chug, chug!” alerts them of a keg stand happening in the backyard. Naruto and Sasuke go to look and aren’t very surprised to see Lee doing it. They look at each other, Naruto smiling.

“Naruto!” Choji’s voice calls.

They turn towards him.

“There’s a game of Clue starting. Wanna join? Blue and Scarlet aren’t taken,” he offers.

“Yeah!” Naruto replies.

They follow Choji into the living room and sit down around the coffee table with the others. Neji and Shikamaru greet them as they sit down, and Shikamaru deals them in.

The game starts. Naruto jumps the gun and guesses wrong. Choji follows suit. Naruto grabs drinks for himself and Sasuke, and can smell the gross alchoholic smoothie that it has become from two yards away. Nonetheless, he pours two cups and takes them back to the game. Shikamaru is making his guess right now, and he gets it right. Sasuke takes his drink from Naruto, and crinkles his nose right before he takes a sip.

“This is awful,” he claims.

“Well, it used to be Cool Aid. By now, it’s probably been mixed with about fifteen different alcohols,” Choji says.

Sasuke grimaces and takes another sip. Naruto tentatively takes a sip and feels it burn. He groans but drinks a little more.

“It gets easier to drink it the more you have,” Naruto realizes after a little while.

“Yeah,” Neji responds, sipping at his own drink.

After a couple of drinks, they all start getting fairly drunk. Lee was first to get drunk and he was wandering around trying to fight people, until he passed out.

“Man,” Shikamaru sighs, coning over to where Sasuke and Naruto are drunkenly leaning on each other.

“Hm?” Naruto hums, looking up at his friend.

Shikamaru sits down on the couch near them and looks around.

“This place is going to be trashed,” he mutters.

“Are you still sober?” Choji asks, slurring a little.

“Yeah.”

Sakura and Ino sway over towards them all. Their eyes light up when they see Sasuke, but dim when they realize Naruto is next to him.

“Hi, Sasuke!” Ino says, drawing out and slurring her words.

Sasuke leans away from her a bit and replies, “Hello”.

“Naruto, did you invite him?” Sakura questions, slightly more soberly than Ino.

“Sort of. Shikamaru and Choji came over earlier and asked us to come,” Naruto tells her.

“Oh!”

Ino stumbles forward and gets up into Naruto’s face.

“Listen weirdo, I’m not gonna let you have Sasuke, alright? He’s mine! Got it?” she says, poking his chest on “mine”.

Naruto feels jealousy taking root and starts to bare his teeth slightly.

“No way, Ino! Sasuke loves me!” Sakura claims, pulling Ino towards her.

“Yeah? Well, who’s the better kisser?” Ino asks, smirking.

Sakura blushes and says, “Why don’t we find out?” before she leans in and kisses her.

Sasuke and Naruto look at each other, confused, and then at Shikamaru, whose jaw is hanging open.

“Um,” Naruto says.

“Let’s go somewhere else,” Sasuke suggests, looking a little nauseous.

“Yeah, alright,” Naruto replies.

They stand up with slight difficulty and wobble through Shikamaru’s house. Naruto notices a significant lack of the regular decorations, but his drunk mind doesn’t register the reason. He gets distracted by Sasuke grabbing his hand and pulling him down a hallway to avoid a group of drunk girls.

After they’ve passed, Naruto and Sasuke continue through the house. They find a game of truth or dare involving Kiba, Hinata, Choji, Neji, Shikamaru, Tenten, and Shino. Sasuke and Naruto sit down and join them. The music has been turned down, since this is about half the people at the party.  
Somehow, during the game, Naruto ends up being dared to french kiss Sasuke. He blushes, but doesn’t back down. He makes sure to make a show of not wanting to do it, but nonetheless turns towards an expressionless Sasuke, who is sitting cross legged with his hands bracing him upright. Naruto gulps and straddles Sasuke’s lap. He cups his boyfriend’s jaw and pulls him closer. Closing their eyes as their lips meet, they open their mouths and taste the alcohol on each other’s lips. Sasuke puts one hand on Naruto’s waist and kisses him back fiercely.

Someone whistles lowly after a moment and the two break apart, breathless and blushing. Sasuke smirks again and wipes his mouth with the back of his hand before pushing Naruto off by the chest. He sits back in his seat, staring forward, in shock. Sakura is glaring at him with homicidal malice. All of the guys are staring at the other two with about as much shock as Naruto is exhibiting, but they’re slightly less dazed.

“Naruto, it’s your turn,” Sasuke reminds him, sounding far too sober.

“Hold on,” Neji interrupts. “You two are definitely dating.”

“What?” Naruto responds, snapping out of his stupor. “That’s ridiculous!”

Sasuke looks at him and he deflates.

“Okay, maybe we are,” Naruto admits.

“What?! Since when?!” Sakura asks, apparently the only one who is surprised.

“Since yesterday,” Sasuke tells her.

She glares at the two boys but stays silent. Beside her, Ino shrugs.

“Sasuke, what time is it?” Naruto whines.

“About eleven.”

“You have to go home, don’t you?” Naruto slurs.

“Yes, but you’re not driving.”

“Why not?”

“You’ve had way too much to drink.”

“I’ve only had...” Naruto starts counting on his fingers but gets confused after the fourth.

Sasuke shakes his head, expressionless, and stands up. He holds his hand out to Naruto and asks for his car keys.

Naruto begrudgingly hands them over and Sasuke helps him stand up. Sasuke thanks Shikamaru and the others before they leave. Lee and a few others have already left, so they’re not the first to go. Sasuke starts to help Naruto back home, not listening to his drunken words.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I barely got this up in time. I don't do deadlines. No more deadlines. This will be updated eventually, and you get to meet Sasuke's foster dads. Until then, please subscribe and enjoy.


	5. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sasuke's dads adopt him, and the aftermath of their actions at the party ensue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can actually see this fic degrading over time.

Sasuke takes Naruto back to the house and realizes that Naruto wouldn’t be able to drive himself home, either. He resolves to just ask one of his foster dads to pick him up.

“Naruto, let’s go inside,” Sasuke suggests.

They manage to get back to Naruto’s room without waking anyone else up. Sasuke sits Naruto down on his bed. He pulls out his phone and texts one of his dads, Kakashi, since he usually stays up late.

Text From: Sasuke 11:23  
Dad, can you please pick me up from Naruto’s? Here’s his address:

Sasuke sends the address and waits for a reply. In the meanwhile, he helps Naruto take off his jacket and shoes and get into bed.

“I’m going to take you home, Sasuke,” Naruto slurs tiredly.

“Sure. Sure. Goodnight, Naruto,” Sasuke whispers, kissing Naruto’s forehead.

Text From: Kakashi 11:34  
Sure

Sasuke sighs and sits down on the floor next to Naruto, with a view out the window. He would wait outside, but it’s kind of cold right now.

Naruto reaches over and starts playing with Sasuke’s headband in his drunken half-sleep. Sasuke smiles and lets him. His headband was his brothers, and Sasuke isn’t entirely sure what the symbol on the small metal plate represents.

In a few minutes, Kakashi comes by to pick Sasuke up in his convertible. Sasuke has a fear of driving and subsequently has never gotten his driver’s license. He has a hard enough time just getting in a vehicle after his parents’ death.

Naruto’s parents apparently went to sleep before they returned from the party, luckily, so Sasuke doesn’t say goodbye to them.

While they’re driving home, Kakashi asks Sasuke how it went.

“Fine,” Sasuke replies.

“So when do Iruka and I get to meet our future son-in-law’s parents?”

Sasuke remains silent, still smiling fondly at the fact that he and Naruto are finally official. Who knows how many of the people from the party were sober enough remember. Sasuke’s smile falls as he realizes that Naruto might not even remember. He grits his teeth and closes his eyes, getting over his frustration. Then, he takes a deep breath and thanks Kakashi for picking him up.

“No problem. But didn’t you say Naruto would take you home?”

“Yeah. He fell asleep,” Sasuke admits.

“Why?” Kakashi questions.

“He got tired,” Sasuke replies with a shrug.

Kakashi stares at the road, silent. He wears a mask to cover three-quarters of his face, often. Partly because of the scar over his left eye, and because he has heterochromia. He’s also unnaturally handsome and doesn’t care for everyone constantly staring at him. Sasuke has only seen him without the mask a handful of times, and now is not one of those occasions.

They eventually pull up into the garage and Sasuke quickly gets out of the car. He makes his way through the modern, eco-efficient house that his dads’ teacher incomes couldn’t have been able to afford on their own. Iruka is sitting in his favorite chair in the living room when they enter, reading.

He looks up when they enter and greets them happily.

“Sasuke,” Kakashi says, putting a hand on his shoulder and looking at him. Sasuke looks back up. “We’d like to talk to you.”

Sasuke stays silent and expressionless as his thoughts race.

They all sit down together in the living room, and Iruka clears his throat. Kakashi and he share a glance before turning back to Sasuke.

“Sasuke, we would like to adopt you,” Iruka says.

Sasuke’s eyes widen a tiny bit, and he looks back at them. They’re watching him hopefully. He nods slightly and they smile, relieved. Well, Iruka does. It’s harder to tell with Kakashi, because of the mask.

The paperwork gets signed and put in an envelope. Iruka says that they’ll mail it tomorrow.

Sasuke goes to bed smiling. For the first night in years, he doesn’t have a nightmare.

At school on Monday, Sasuke and Naruto immediately find each other. They start talking to each other at the same time.

Naruto shuts up when he hears what Sasuke is saying.

“I got adopted!”

“Really? That’s great! By who?” Naruto replies, his argument forgotten in the light of this news.

“My foster parents,” Sasuke answers. “Now what were you saying?”

“He’s trying to say he didn’t make out with you and tell us all that you two are dating at the party,” Shikamaru interjects from behind Naruto.

They both turn towards back the group, Naruto is suddenly angry again and claiming he didn’t. Sasuke shakes his head and smiles fondly.

“You did,” Sasuke tells Naruto apologetically.

“I have it on video,” Neji remembers, pulling out his phone and showing Naruto.

By the end of the video, Naruto is blushing but his anger seems replaced by fear. Sasuke kisses his knuckles gently, shocking almost everyone.

“It’s okay, Naruto; see? I told you they wouldn’t care,” Sasuke murmurs.

Naruto looks around at his friends’ accepting though slightly surprised faces and exhales in defeat.

“Fine,” Naruto admits sourly. “We really are dating.”

Neji and the other guys smile softly at their friend. Sakura still looks slightly angry, but she’s not throwing punches yet. Hinata looks shocked and a little sad, but she doesn’t say anything.

Sasuke and Naruto take full advantage of being openly together from then on. They sneak to the bathrooms during lunch more than once, and stay over at each other's houses often. Naruto gets to know Kakashi and Iruka, two of his old teachers, and they meet Naruto’s adoptive parents as well. Kakashi and Naruto’s mom get along suspiciously well. As do Iruka and Naruto’s dad.

But in the end, behind all the insulting nicknames, Naruto and Sasuke find themselves happier than either of them has been in a while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took me so long to get this up. I stopped watching Naruto, but I'm still in the fandom. Life and anxiety have been kicking my butt, so this is the last chapter of this and probably my last fic for a little while. I've got a lot of homework, a novel, and my part-time job, so I think I need to take a break for a bit. Especially with finals coming up. Thanks to all of you who've read this, commented, and given kudos (seriously, this is the best response I've ever gotten)! I love you guys! May you live a prosperous and great life!


End file.
